New Testament Reading: Luke 2:22–35

“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.’” (Luke 2:22–35, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 13:1-16

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.’ Then Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year. ‘When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.’” (Exodus 13:1–16, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

I think the best way to consider our text for today is by asking three questions. One, what does it say? Two, what did it mean for Old Covenant Israel. And three, what does it mean for us today? 

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What Does The Text Say?

The first question is rather easy to answer. What does the text say? Here in Exodus 13, we first of all find instructions for the consecration of the firstborns of Israel, of man and beast. And secondly, we encounter even more instructions regarding the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In fact, our text begins and ends with instructions regarding the consecration of the firstborns, and in the middle, we find instructions regarding the feast. 

As you can see, these things are all intertwined. In this passage, and in the previous one, many words are devoted to instructions regarding the observance of the Passover festival, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborns. What do all of these rituals share in common? They memorialize some aspect of the historical event wherein the LORD rescued Israel from bondage in Egypt through the outpouring of the tenth plague as he shielded his people from harm. 

We have already learned about the Passover festival. It was to be observed on the 14th day of the first month of the year according to the Hebrew calendar, the month of Abib. On the 10th day of the month, the Israelites were to select a lamb or goat without blemish and they were to set it aside, one per household, or one per multiple households if the households were small. In the evening on the 14th day, the lamb or goat was to be killed, some of its blood was to be spread on the doorposts and header of the door of the home, and then roasted simply over fire. The whole animal was to be consumed, and it was to be eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. This was a kind of reenactment of what happened on the night that the tenth plague was poured out on the Egyptians, and the Hebrews were spared. The LORD passed over and shielded all of the homes that had the blood of the lamb applied to its doorposts. The yearly Passover festival was to function as a yearly reminder of that event. 

We have also learned about the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This feast was also to be observed yearly by Israel. It also began on the 14th day of the first month of the year, but this feast would last for seven days, through to the end of day 21.  On the first day, the Israelites were to remove all leaven from their homes. Leaven is a substance (typically yeast) that is used to make bread rise. Just a little bit of it affects the whole batch of dough. None was to be found in the Israelites homes. And from the 14th day of the month through the 21st day of the month, the Israelites were to eat only unleavened (flat) bread. This was to remind them of how they prepared their bread with haste on the day before the tenth plague was poured out, and how they walked out of Egypt with their dough unleavened. They relied upon that bread to sustain them as they journeyed out of Egypt and into the wilderness. On days one and seven of this festival the Israelites were to hold a holy assembly. In other words, the people were to come together to offer sacrifices to the LORD and to worship. So, in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we have a kind of reenactment of the original event. The Israelites were to do this every single year (once they were in the land promised to them). And they were to do this together as a people. They were to observe this festival at a fixed time, and they were to assemble together on the first and seventh days. The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread were so tightly linked that they can be considered two aspects of the same festival. Both were memorials of the Israelites exodus from Egypt. We considered instructions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 12:14-20, and we find more here in 13:3-10.

Now, something new is introduced to us in this passage. Before and after the instructions regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we find laws concerning the consecration, or setting apart, of the firstborn males of Israel, both of man and of beast. In 13:1 we read, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.’” (Exodus 13:1–2, ESV). And in verse 11 we find Moses instructing Israel concerning this consecration, saying, “‘When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.” (Exodus 13:11–13, ESV)

So what is this about? 

It is another positive law. 

All firstborn male animals were to be sacrificed to the LORD. 

Unclean animals, such as donkeys, were to be redeemed. This means that a  substitute was to be provided, a life for a life. A lamb could, which was considered a clean animal, and therefore suitable for sacrifice, was to be offered up in place of the unclean animal. Notice that I have introduced the categories of “clean” and “unclean” to you without telling you what that means. In brief, in the law Moses many distinctions will be made between things “clean” and “unclean”, things “common” and things “holy”. I’ve already warned you that we are entering into that portion of scripture that describes that time where many positive laws were imposed upon the people of God for a particular time, in a particular place, and for a particular purpose. And here is yet another example: In Old Covenant Israel under the Mosaic Covenant, a distinction was made between things clean and unclean, common and holy. Here in this passage, we learn that all of the firstborn male animals were to be consecrated to the LORD. The clean animals were to be sacrificed to God in worship, but the unclean were to be redeemed. A price was to be paid for them. A substitute was to be offered up. And the same was true for the firstborn sons of Israel. All of Israel’s firstborn sons were to be consecrated unto the LORD. And because they were human beings made in the image of God, and not animals, clean or unclean, every firstborn son of Israel was to be redeemed. 

This passage seems to suggest that a lamb could be offered up as a substitute for the firstborn sons of Israel. Perhaps that was true for a time. But in Numbers 18:14ff detailed instructions are given to the priests of Israel concerning the consecration of the firstborns and the price of redemption. There we read, “Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD” (Numbers 18:14–17, ESV). Here we see that the price of redemption for the firstborn of man and of all unclean animals was set at five shekels in silver. We should remember that Jesus Christ was consecrated as a newborn, he being the firstborn of Mary. In Luke 2:22ff we read, “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’)” (Luke 2:22–23, ESV). Joseph and Mary were poor, and so they offered up a pair of turtledoves instead, which was a provision made for the poor in the law of Moses found in Leviticus 12:8.  

So we have simply considered what the text says. In our passage for today, we find more positive laws pertaining to the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and laws pertaining to the consecration of the firstborn males of Israel, of man and of beast.   

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What Did It Mean For Old Covenant Israel?

Now we must ask, what did this mean for Israel? In other words, what did these laws communicate to them? What was their meaning or message? Certainly, they had significance. These positive laws were not imposed upon Israel arbitrarily by God. No, these laws were added for a purpose. They signified things, just as positive laws always do. Remember, positive laws are not inherently moral. They are added in connection with the making of covenants to signify certain things, i.e. don’t eat from this tree here, circumcise your male children, baptize those who believe, and partake of this and this in remembrance of me. These are positive laws. They are not binding on all. They were added to Old Covenant Israel in the days of Moses for a time and purpose. Now here I am asking, what did they communicate? 

I think the best way to answer this question is to consider what these rituals communicated to Israel concerning the past, present, and future. Now, to be clear I am speaking of their past, present, and future, and not ours. We must put ourselves in the place of Israel after the Exodus and before the resurrection and ascension of Christ. What did these rituals communicate to Old Covenant Israel concerning their past, present, and future?

Concerning the past, these festivals and rituals reminded Israel of their redemption from Egypt. 

The yearly Passover feast was a kind of reenactment of the night when the tenth plague was poured out, the firstborns of Egypt being put to death while firstborns of the Hebrews and all others who took shelter under the blood of the lamb were shielded from the judgment of God. The Feast of Unleavened Bread functioned as a kind extension of the Passover, reminding Israel of their hasty exodus from Egypt the following day. And the consecration of the firstborn males of Israel reminded them of how God spared their firstborns while pouring out his judgments upon Egypt.

Each of these three was, in its own unique way, a memorial to the Exodus event in all of its complexity.  They were to remind Israel of the past. 

The Passover has already been called a memorial. And listen to what our text says in verse 8 concerning the Feast of Unleavened Bread. “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8–9, ESV). Something similar is said in verse 13 concerning the consecration of the firstborn males: “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:14–16, ESV). In other words, this ritual, like the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was to function as a perpetual reminder to Israel of what God did for them in the past. That is what is meant by “It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes…” These things were perpetual reminders of the Exodus event. 

It is important to know and to remember history. We can gain a lot of wisdom from history. But this event was to be remembered by Israel because this event — their redemption from Egypt — defined them as a people and nation. And so they were to observe these festivals and these laws to commemorate what God has done for them in the past. Not only were they to do these things in front of their children, and not only were they to teach their children to obey these laws and to observe these rituals themselves, they were also to explain the significance of these rituals to their children.  

Rituals become dead rituals when their significance is forgotten. Israel was to keep the festival and consecrate their firstborn males to remember what the LORD did for them to redeem them from Egypt. They were to teach the next generation about what God had done so that they would know and believe. 

These positive laws were added and imposed upon Israel to cause them to remember the Exodus. And I think it is important to remember that the Exodus story began, not in the days of Moses, but long before that in the days of Abraham. Indeed, the Exodus story begins, not with Exodus chapter one, but in Genesis chapter one. Are you following me? Or to put it another way, these festivals and rituals that were given to Israel in the days of Moses were meant to remind Israel, not only of the Exodus event itself but of the backstory too. The backstory is very important, brothers and sisters. The Exodus event makes sense only against the backdrop of the story of Genesis —  that is, the story of creation, man’s fall into sin, and the promise of redemption for the world through the offspring of Abraham. Here I am saying that these festivals and rituals imposed upon Israel were intended to perpetually remind them of all of that — the Exodus event and everything that led up to it. They were to teach it to their children so that they would know their history, and even more importantly, believe in the promises of God that were instructed to them through their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — promises pertaining to the salvation of the world through faith in the Hebrew Messiah.  

Present

Not only did these positive laws have significance concerning Israel’s past, they also had significance for their present. There is a lot that can be said about this. I’ll say just enough to get us thinking in the right direction. 

In brief, these positive laws pertaining to the observance of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborn males, were meant, not only to remind Israel of the past, but to communicate to them in the present that they were a holy, set apart in the world as the LORD’s special possession. To use Paul’s language, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:4–5, ESV). These positive laws that were added and imposed upon the Hebrews under the Old Covenant were intended to remind Israel of its privileged place in the world. Everything in the world belongs to God, but they were his in a special way, for the LORD chose them and set them apart. He redeemed them from bondage. He made them into a holy nation — a nation to be governed by his holy law. A nation to that would have the glory of God dwell in the midst of her. A nation devoted to worship. A notion instructed with the word of God and the promises of God concerning the Savior of the world. 

This privileged position was not to create pride in Israel, but humility, for it was only by God’s grace. The stories that we find in Genesis regarding the call of Abraham and the lives of the patriarchs communicate this. It was by God’s grace that Abraham was set apart along with his offspring. Abraham did not deserve it. And the Exodus story communicates the same. The Hebrews’ redemption from Egypt was by God’s grace. It was not Moses who delivered them, nor did the Hebrews deliver themselves. They were powerless to do so. The LORD delivered the Hebrews according to his might. As the people of Israel observed the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and as they consecrated the firstborn males, they should have remembered all of that history, and that history should have cultivated humility in their hearts in the present, along with a sense of gratitude towards God, and responsibility as it pertained to the nations. 

Under the Old Covenant, the Hebrews people were graciously set apart as holy unto the Lord and for a purpose. These positive laws that were added and imposed upon them in the days of Moses were to remind them of their identity. These rituals communicated something to them regarding their special place in the world. They belonged to the LORD in a special way. They were being used by him for a special purpose. They needed to remember it. 

Future

These rituals — the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the consecration of the firstborn males — also communicated something concerning the future. This is a little difficult to see if we have our noses buried in this text leading us to lose sight of what came before and what comes after. But if we are careful to read this portion of scripture in the light of all the rest we are able to see how these positive laws not only reminded Israel of the past and of who they were in the present, they also anticipate the work that God would do in the future through the promised Messiah.  

We must admit that the message concerning the work that Messiah who was to come would do was a bit mysterious in that Old Covenant era. No one knew exactly who the Messiah would be or how he would accomplish our salvation. But enough light was given so that the faithful in Israel could believe. The light of the gospel of Jesus Christ came to the Old Covenant saints in different ways: through the promises of God, through prophecy, and through types. The promises and prophecies are rather easy for us to identify and understand. God spoke to Abraham, for example, and promised to bless the nations through one of his offspring. And God spoke, for example, through Jeremiah the prophet quite clearly concerning the coming New Covenant. Those who lived under the Old Covenant were always looking forward to something, therefore. They were awaiting the day when the Messiah would come to do his work and to establish his eternal kingdom, etc. The promises instructed to Abraham, and the prophecies which followed made it clear that the LORD still had work to do in regards to the accomplishment of our redemption. Even Moses spoke to Israel saying,  “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—” (Deuteronomy 18:15, ESV). So even Moses directed the attention of the people to the future to someone greater than him who would accomplish something greater than he accomplished. 

The promises and prophecies of the Old Covenant make this clear. But here I am saying that the historical event of the Exodus along with the rituals that were given to Israel to commemorate that event — these had a prophetic and forward-looking quality to them. We call them types and shadows because they said something about the future, not through words, but through events, images, and figures. 

Perhaps the most obvious example is the blood of the Passover lamb. The LORD could have distinguished between the Hebrews and the Egyptians in any way that he wished. In fact, the LORD knows who are his, and so no sign was needed. But the LORD determined to use a sign to mark the Hebrews (and all who wished to identify with them by faith) off from the Egyptians. Why a sign? Answer: to signify or symbolize something. And why this sign? Why the blood of a lamb or goat on the doorposts? All who believe in Jesus Christ will agree it was to signify why Christ would do to save his people from their sins eternal damnation. He would shed his blood for us. He would die in our place. All who have the blood of Christ applied to them and received by faith will be cleansed and thus shielded from the just wrath of God. 

But consider this: we are able to identify this symbolism clearly and interpret it rightly only as we consider the blood of the Passover lamb in the light of the rest of scripture. If the Passover lamb were the only sign given, then its light would be very dim indeed. But tell me, do you remember how the LORD clothed Adam and Eve after they fell into sin and were ashamed of their nakedness? They tried to clothe themselves, but the LORD himself clothed them with animal skins. In other words, blood was shed, a sacrifice was made, and a covering was provided for Adam and Eve. And do you remember that story where Abraham was called to sacrifice his son Isaac to test his faith? Abraham obeyed the LORD knowing that the LORD would provide a way out. And what did the LORD do? He provided a substitute for Isaac. A ram was caught in the thicket to take Isaac’s place.  And consider the entire sacrificial system that was added under the Mosaic Covenant. What I am saying is this: we find a theme in the Old Testament scriptures. The wages of sin is death. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. God is gracious. He will provide a substitute. The New Testament is clear: This was all about Christ, our substitute. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV), said John as he prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah.

The Passover feast reminded the Hebrews of the past, it reminded them of their identity in the present, but it was also forward-looking. It reminded Israel of the promises that were made to Adam and Eve, and to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, regarding one of their offspring who would bless the nations by providing redemption from sin, Satan, and the fear of death.

The law concerning the consecration of the firstborn sons did something similar. It reminded Israel of what their sins deserve. It reminded Israel of the grace that was available to them. They were made righteous through faith in the promised Messiah. And it communicated something to them about how their salvation would be accomplished, namely, through substitutionary atonement. They deserved to die (as do you and I), but someone would take their place. Every time a price of redemption was paid for a firstborn male of man or beast, this good news was pronounced to them.  

Listen carefully, brothers and sisters. The Exodus brought earthly deliverance. The Hebrews were rescued from Egypt. It did nothing, in and of itself, to accomplish spiritual and eternal deliverance. It was earth. And the Old Covenant that was instituted under Moses offered blessings and threatened curses as it pertained to life in the land. That covenant, in and of itself, did not provide for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal blessing. But the same grace that is available to you and I was available to them. Those who lived in that Old Covenant era could have their sins forgiven. How so? Through faith in the Messiah who presented to them through promises, prophecies, types, and shadows.  

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What Does It Mean For Us Today? 

We have considered what the text says. We have also considered what this text meant to Old Covenant Israel. Now let us take a moment to ask, what does this mean for us today?

First of all, it should be said that we are not obligated to observe the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or to redeem our firstborn sons with a substitute. These were laws given uniquely to Israel under the Mosaic Covenant. They were positive laws imposed upon a particular people, in a particular place, and for a particular time. But this does not mean that we should ignore the scriptures that speak of these things. No! Much can be gleaned from them. In fact, these laws do reveal Christ to us. They help us to see him clearly and to understand his person and work. The illustration that comes to mind is that of a painting. Think of a painting that tells a story, if you know what I mean. Imagine a central figure, and then imagine the background. What is the purpose of the background except to draw attention to and accentuate the central figure, whoever it is. And the background itself can contribute greatly to the overall story that is being told. And that reminds me of what we are doing as we handle these Old Testament books. We are analyzing background images. We are considering what they communicate in and of themselves, but we are also considering how they relate to Christ, the central figure of the story of redemption. These stories and these rituals make Christ pop. That’s what I am trying to say. And so we should cherish them.  They are the word of God. “[N]ot an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18, ESV).

Secondly, everything that was said regarding the rituals of the Old Covenant having significance for the people of God for the past, present, and future, may be said of us too as it pertains to the New Covenant ritual, which is the Lord’s Supper. 

The Lord’s Supper is to remind us of the past. Above all, it is to remind us of how Christ accomplished our redemption from sin, the kingdom of Satan, and the power of death through his life, death, burial, and resurrection. But must not merely remember the event. No, we must also consider its significance. 

The Lord’s Supper is also to remind us of our present identity, calling, and purpose. 

What is the identity of those who have faith in Christ? I’ll quote Peter. He wrote to New Covenant Christians saying, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)

And what is our calling? I’ll continue with Peter: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11–12, ESV).

Our mission is to “…make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [Christ has] commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV).

When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we are reminded that we belong to the LORD. We have been reconciled to him through faith in the Messiah. He is our God and we are his people, and all of this is by his grace alone. This should produce humility in us along with holiness. 

And the Lord’s Supper also speaks to us concerning the future. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day Sabbath we are reminded of the coming consummation of all things, the new heavens and earth, and the marriage supper of the Lamb that we will enjoy there when the all things are made new and glory of God fills all. 

Let us be sure to keep the festival in sincerity and truth, brothers and sisters. We must not allow it to become a dead ritual but must approach the Table thoughtfully with faith and thanksgiving in our hearts. 

Thirdly, parents and children may learn something from this passage today. 

Parents, teach your children the faith. You bring them to worship with you. They watch you partake of the Supper. Tell them what it means. They need to know what happened. But they also need to be urged to believe these things, to turn from their sins, and to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. 

Children, may I encourage you to be curious about the faith and to ask questions of your parent or parents? If you are here listening to my words now, you are blessed. You are being raised in the faith. But this does not mean that you have faith. That is something you must do. You must turn from your sins and place your faith in Christ. You are not born into that. Your parents cannot do that for you. You must do it. And so I am urging you to be inquisitive. You are truly blessed — you are in a privileged position — if you have a parent or parents, a grandmother, relative, or some other person who has faith in Christ and is raising you in the faith. Ask them questions. Talk about what you see and what you hear. Be curious. Did you notice what our text said about that? “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him…” (Exodus 13:14, ESV), etc. Ask. Be curious. Want to learn. And the Lord’s Day is the best day for that. This is a day for rest and worship. It is a day for talking about the things of the Lord. Children, take the opportunity. Learn from your parents, and believe upon Christ who died for the sins of his people. 

New Testament Reading: Galatians 3:15–22

“To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:15–22, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:29-51

“At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, ‘Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!’ The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, ‘We shall all be dead.’ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.’ All the people of Israel did just as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.” (Exodus 12:29–51, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

There are four parts to our text for today. In verse 29 we find a very brief description of the outpouring of the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptians. In verses 30-32 we find a description of the initial reaction of the Egyptians. Verses 33-42 describe the beginning of the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt. And finally, in verses 43-51 we find even more instructions concerning the ongoing observance of the Passover feast. I say “even more”, because we considered instructions for the observance of the passover in 12:1-28; in verses 43-51 even more instructions are given.  

By now you are probably getting the impression that this event was a very big deal in Israel’s history. This event — the outpouring of the tenth plague, which resulted in the death of the firstborns in Egypt of man and of cattle, along with the simultaneous shielding of the Hebrews — was a very big moment in Israel’s history, and understandably so.

It was this plague that finally broke Pharoah and the Egyptians leading to the release of the Hebrews. And at the same time, it was the greatest demonstration of the favor that God had shown to the Hebrews. Yes, the LORD had distinguished between the Hebrews and the Egyptians in the outpouring of previous plagues. For example, in the fourth plague there were flies throughout the land of Egypt, but God “set apart the land of Goshen, where [his] people [dwelt], so that no swarms of flies [were] be there, that [all would] know that [he is] the LORD in the midst of the earth” (Exodus 8:22, ESV). But here a distinction was made between Israel and Egypt in a particularly significant way. The firstborns of Egypt were put to death, but the Hebrews were shielded by the LORD. All of the other plagues were very awesome, but this one was exponentially more so. 

This event was a very big deal, for through it the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt to make them into a nation, just as he had promised. It is no wonder, then, that so much space is devoted in the exodus narrative to instructions for the ongoing observance of the Passover. You will notice that the actual description of the outpouring of the tenth and final plague is very, very brief — only one verse — verse 29. But instructions for the perpetual observance of the Passover memorial surround this text. The Hebrews were to celebrate the Passover year after year from this day forward to remember how the LORD had delivered them. The firstborn of Egypt were put to death, but the Hebrews were shielded by the LORD — he passed over their homes and they were spared. The Passover feast was a yearly holiday that prompted the Hebrews to remember this great act of deliverance. 

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What Happened When The Tenth Plague Was Poured Out?

So what happened when the tenth plague was poured out?

In verse 29 we read, “At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.” (Exodus 12:29, ESV). 

We know that it was the LORD himself who executed this judgment, for in chapter 11 verse 4 Moses issued this warning, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle” (Exodus 11:4–5, ESV).

I do believe that this last plague must be viewed in light of the murder of the male Hebrew children that we learned about in Exodus chapter 1. You’ll remember that story, I’m sure. The Egyptians were concerned that the Hebrews were growing too strong, and so the Pharaoh commanded that the midwives put the male newborns to death. They would not, and so Pharaoh commanded that they be cast into the Nile. Moses’ own life was threatened by this decree, but he was spared by the LORD and through the actions of his faithful mother who, when she could hide him no longer, made a basket of reeds and sent him down the river. Pharaoh’s daughter found him, had compassion on him, and raised him in the palace. And here I am saying that this tenth plague — the death of the firstborns of Egypt — must be viewed against the backdrop of that history, not to mention the many, many years of brutal oppression endured by the Hebrew slaves at the hands of the Egyptians. 

So then, if anyone would dare to complain against God, saying, this is unjust!, they should be reminded of this history. The Egyptians were brutal to the Hebrews, and the LORD judged them for it. Or to state it in another way, the Egyptians were brutal to God’s son, Israel, and so the LORD did righteously judge the Egyptians by striking at their firstborns.   

Furthermore, attention should be drawn to the fact that it was the LORD who did this, and the Hebrews themselves. The LORD judged the Egyptians, and it is right to do so. He is the judge of all the earth. If it were the Hebrew people who rose up to kill the firstborns of Egypt, they themselves would be guilty of genocide. They would be no better than the Egyptians who committed genocide against them some 40 years earlier. It was the LORD who did this, and he has the right. 

This reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 12:19, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19, ESV). You and I are not to take vengeance on our enemies. We are to leave that to the Lord. And here we have a prime example of the LORD taking vengeance on the enemies of his people. 

You know, this principle has application for us today. There are many in our culture who are obsessed with the idea that the evils committed by past generations must be made right in the present. Those whose ancestors were unjustly enslaved are to be compensated somehow, and those whose ancestors benefited in some way from that arrangement are to be punished. How you would go about sorting all of that out, I don’t know. It’s a mess. But I would assume that some might point to this Exodus story as an illustration in support of the principle of restitution. Look, the Hebrews were treated unjustly for generations, but they plundered the Egyptians as they left. And look, the Egyptians committed heinous acts against the Hebrew children, and now, forty years later, they are made to pay. 

Well, yes. But you overlook the very significant fact that this was the LORD’s doing. It was the LORD himself who passed through Egypt to execute this judgment upon the Egyptians. It was the LORD who poured out these plagues, moving the Egyptians to freely and willingly give silver, gold, and clothing to their Hebrew neighbors as they left. This was the LORD’s doing. In other words, this was not human vengeance. This was not man-made restitution. The Hebrews did not steal from the Egyptians, saying, now you must pay for the sins of your ancestors, nor did they rise up against the Egyptians in revolt, saying, do you remember when you put our children to death? Now we will do the same to yours! No, this was the LORD’s doing. He took vengeance upon the Egyptians in a way that only he can, for he has the right. He poured out his just judgment upon these wicked and oppressive people. 

The point I am trying to make is this: human beings can only go so far with justice. If we try to go too far with justice, it becomes unjust. How far can we take it? Well, at best our courts of law are able to hold men accountable for crimes that they themselves have committed. If one man has personally harmed another man, then restitution should be paid. Friends, we have a difficult time getting that right! Our ability to execute justice is very limited. Why? Because our knowledge is limited. Some things must simply be left to the LORD to sort out. He may sort things out a little bit in this life (as he did at the time of the Exodus), but he will sort everything out thoroughly and with perfect exactness on the last day. 

And you had better be found in Christ, friends, for none are innocent. Not even you, the “oppressed”. Here is another cultural trend that we see today. Men and women — especially young men and women — love to think of themselves as oppressed. In fact, many young people will identify themselves with as many “oppressed” groups as possible, so as to be most oppressed, and thus, most deserving of respect and privilege. Those who have bought into this lie, who view themselves as the self-righteous oppressed,  will have a rude awakening on the last when they stand before God and see that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, ESV), and that “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10, ESV). It would be far better for them to learn this lesson now and to know that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, ESV), so they might turn to him for the forgiveness of sins. 

So, back to our text. What happened when the tenth plague was poured out? The LORD put the firstborn of Egypt to death, of man and cattle. 

When did this happen? The text says, “at midnight”, which in the Hebrew simply means, in the middle of the night. We know from the previous passage that this happened on the 14th day of the first month of the Hebrew lunar calendar, which is called Abib, or Nisan. It was Springtime. It was that time of year that you and I call April. And in what year? We would say, in approximately 1,450 B.C. So all of this happened nearly 1,500 years before Jesus Christ was born, or approximately 3,500 years ago from today. 

Children, I would like to quiz you to see if you are listening. 

What happened when the tenth plague was poured out? The firstborn of Egypt died. 

What happened to the Hebrews? The LORD shielded them.

What was the sign that those in a household had faith in the LORD so that they were protected on that night? The blood of the lamb around the door frame. 

How long ago did this happen? About 3,500 years ago, 1,500 years before Christ was born. 

What festival or holiday were the people of Israel to observe to remember this moment? The Passover.

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How Did The Egyptians Respond?

So we have asked, what happened? Now let us consider how the Egyptians responded. 

First, the Egyptians mourned. Verse 30 says, “And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead” (Exodus 12:30, ESV). This was a truly awful judgment. And to acknowledge that it was awful does not mean that it was unjust. God does not do wrong, but right when he judges sinners.  

Secondly, the Egyptians demanded that the Hebrews leave, and how they are permitted to take their livestock too, which was a point of disagreement before. In verse 31 we read, “Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, ‘Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said’” (Exodus 12:31, ESV). This does not contradict what was said before about Moses never seeing Pharaoh’s face again. It is likely that this command to leave was issued, not by Pharaoh himself, but by his servants. 

Thirdly, Pharaoh requested that Moses bless him also. I find this very interesting. No, I do not think this means that Pharoah came to have true saving faith. In fact, we will see that Pharoah will change his mind yet again and will pursue the Hebrews to destroy them. But he was convinced by these great acts of judgment that the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, was to be feared. 

Also, this little request from Pharoah — “and bless me also” — is meant to remind us of Israel’s purpose from the beginning. Do you remember what God said to Abraham when he called him? “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV). This little request from Pharoah is meant to remind us of the fact that Israel was made into a nation in the days of Moses to bless the nations. Pharaoh would not get this blessing, for he persisted in unbelief. But there is something prophetic about this request. As Israel leaves to become a nation, Pharaoh, the King of Egypt said, “bless me also”. Indeed, Egypt would be blessed by Israel, not right away, but in the fullness of time when the Messiah would come to die, not for the Hebrews only, but also for the nations. 

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The Exodus

Now, verses 33 through 41 describe the beginning of the Hebrew’s exodus from Egypt. 

The Egyptians sent them away very quickly, reasoning that if they did not they would all soon be dead! Never did the LORD threaten such a thing. In his mercy, his judgments against the Egyptians were restrained to the firstborns. But you could understand why the Egyptians felt this way! So Israel was sent away with haste. “So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders” (Exodus 12:34, ESV). They were going on a long journey and they would need food to eat at the beginning, and so they took unleavened bread, just as the LORD had commanded. 

In verses 34 through 36 we hear that the Hebrews were sent away with silver, gold, and clothing from the Egyptians. They did not steal it, but asked for it, as Moses had commanded. The LORD gave the Hebrews “favor” in the sight of the Egyptians, and so they went out with great possessions. 

In verses 37 through 40 we read, “And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks, and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years” (Exodus 12:37–40, ESV).

I need to make a few remarks about these verses. 

One, you should know that there are differences of opinion regarding the number of people who went out from Egypt. The ESV says 600,000 men, which would put the total number at well over a million, perhaps close to 2,000,000 including women and children. But some scholars note that the Hebrew word translated as “thousand”, can also be used to refer to a clan, or to a military unit. And so they argue that the text does not say, 600,000 men, but rather 600 clans or units of men, as in military units. This would put the total number of men in the tens of thousands, rather than hundreds of thousands. May I confess that I’m not entirely sure what to think about this? I need to study this issue further. But I still lean rather strongly in the direction of understanding the text to mean 600,000 men, for that seems to best fit with the number that is given in Exodus 38:26, and Numbers 1:46, 2:32, 11:21, and 26:51. I mention this to you so that you might know this is a point of debate. 

Two, whatever the number, the people of Israel are spoken of in military terms. In verse 51 we read, “And on that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts” (Exodus 12:51, ESV). This echos what was said in 12:17. “Hosts” is probably a military term, and so Israel is to be viewed as an army. This will become significant as the Exodus story progresses. Israel will be called to fight and to conquer nations, as you know. 

Three, here in verse 38 we learn that Israel was not a homogeneous group at the beginning, but that a “mixed multitude” went out from Egypt. The majority were no doubt Hebrews, that is to say, descendants of Abraham. But other ethnicities also joined themselves to the Hebrews. How many were Egyptians, we do not know. Perhaps some witnessed the plagues, came to fear the LORD, and even believed in him, forsaking their homeland to sojourn with Moses and the Hebrews. Certainly, there were other ethnic groups enslaved by the Egyptians, and they took the opportunity to leave as well. This was a mixed multitude. This will help to explain the trouble that Israel would have with idolatry in the wilderness. The Hebrews were not probably not pure in their beliefs and practices,  but there were others influencing the nation in a bad way too. It quickly became a challenge for Moses and for Aaron. That a “mixed multitude” went up out of Egypt does help us to see that this whole thing was not ultimately about race, but faith, from the beginning. Though God would deal with the Hebrews in a special way for a time, foreigners could join themselves to Israel by faith. This principle would of course explode when the Messiah came and the New Covenant was inaugurated, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV).

Four, unleavened bread is mentioned here yet again. I think this is to further emphasize the feast of unleavened bread that the Israelites were to observe in connection with the Passover. 

Five, the text says that Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years. The question we must ask is, when did the clock start? Did the clock start when Jacob left Canaan with his family to settle in Egypt in the days when his son Joseph ruled there? Or did the clock start at an earlier time? In fact, there is very good reason to believe that the clock started at an earlier time. 

Consider a few things:

One, when Paul the Apostle speaks of this 430 year period of time he marks the beginning of it with the call of Abram and the promise that was made to him as recorded in Genesis 12. This is found in that Galatian 3 passage which we have already read. There Paul says, “To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.” (Galatians 3:15–17, ESV). Please follow me. The promise that Paul here refers to is the promise that was made to Abraham as recorded in Genesis 12. That marks the beginning of the 430 years according to Paul. And what marks the end of the 430 years except the giving of the law of Moses. Paul’s argument in Galatians is that the law of Moses was added to the promises previously made to Abraham, and that the added law does not do away with the promises previously given. Paul argues in this way to demonstrate that salvation was never found in the keeping of the law of Moses, but always through faith in the promise concerning the Messiah. I tried to convince you in the previous sermon that the civil and ceremonial laws revealed in the days of Moses were positive laws, or laws that were added. This is exactly what Paul argues, and it is a very important concept if we are to rightly interpret the law of Moses. But here is what I’m trying to show you now. Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, says that the 430 years began, not with Jacob’s entry into Egypt, but when Abraham was called. 

Two, in Acts 7 we hear Stephen say this regarding the affliction of Abraham’s descendants: “And God spoke to this effect—that [Abraham’s] offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years” (Acts 7:6, ESV). So Paul says 430 years, and Steven says 400 years. Why the different numbers? Some assume that Steven was simply rounding down, but that is not the case. In fact, Steven in his sermon was referring to that passage in Genesis 15 where God cut the covenant with Abraham. Do you remember that text? Abraham saw a vision of divided animals and the LORD walked between them symbolized by a smoking firepot. It was there in that episode that the LORD said to Abraham, among other things, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions” (Genesis 15:13–14, ESV).

So it is clear from these texts that Israel left Egypt 430 years after God first called Abraham and promised to bless him and to bless the nations in him, and 400 years after he walked through the divided animals before Abraham to affirm his promise regarding many descendants. 

Three, it is interesting that the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament renders Exodus 12:40 this way: “The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt and in Canaan was 430 years.” Canaan was the land where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived. And the Septuagint clarifies what is meant by the Hebrew, saying, “The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt and in Canaan was 430 years.” This agrees perfectly with what Paul and Steven say in Galatians 3 and Acts 7.

So what’s going on here? I think it is this. The Hebrew word translated in the ESV as “lived” in Exodus 12:40 can mean other things. For example, it can mean “endured”. And indeed the descendants of Abraham did live, or endure, “Egypt” for 430 from the time that Abraham was called, and 400 years from when he saw that vision. The patriarchs endured affliction as sojourners in a land not their own knowing that bondage was in the future for their descendants — bondage in a foreign nation stood in between the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the promised land. In this sense even they lived in or endured Egypt. 

The Septuagint, Paul, and Steven all agree. The clock started in the days of Abraham. This means that the Hebrews actually lived in Egypt for much less than 430, and they suffered as slaves only after the Pharoah who knew Joseph has died. All of that fits quite nicely with what the LORD said to Abraham in Genesis 15: “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Genesis 15:13–16, ESV). Israel lived in Egypt and was afflicted as slaves for only four generations, a generation typically being counted as about 30 or 40 years.

Why have I taken the time to work through the question of when the clock started on the 430 years? In part, it is to show you that the scriptures are reliable. What appears to be contradictions are not contradictions, but matters of translation or interpretation. There is no contradiction between the 430 years of Exodus 12, the 430 years of Galatians 3, the 400 years of Acts 7, or the remark about the fourth generation in Genesis 15. They all agree so long as we consider each text carefully.

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The Statute Of The Passover 

I will move very quickly through the last portion of our text for today. In verses 43 through 49 more instructions are given concerning the observance of the Passover festival. 

Consider how much emphasis is placed on the observance of the Passover. Verses 1 through 28 of chapter 12 provide instructions for the observance of the yearly Passover. A very small portion of the text describes the tenth plague, the preservation of the Hebrews, and the beginning of the exodus. And then in verses 43 through 49 we find more instructions for the observance of the Passover. In fact, these instructions continue all the way through 13:16 as the LORD gives instructions for the consecration of the firstborns of the Hebrews and the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 

You know, as you read all of this you kind of start to get the impression that God rescued these people from Egyptian bondage for religious purposes… And that is the point. They were redeemed… to worship and serve the Lord. They were redeemed… to be a holy people. They were redeemed… to bring the Messiah into the world and to bless the nations in him. This point will come to the forefront as we progress through Exodus, and especially as we consider the rest of the Pentetuch. And here it begins… keep the Passover, keep the Passover, keep the Passover.

If there is anything unique about these instructions for keeping the Passover found in 12:43-49 it is that the Passover is to be kept by Israel, and not by the nations. This festival would mark Israel off as holy. And so it is with baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are all sacraments which signify that those who partake are the Lord’s special possession. But did you notice that it was not just ethic Hebrews who were invited to keep the Passover? No, foreigners could observe it too, provided that they join themselves to Israel by faith. Verse 48: “If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.” (Exodus 12:48, ESV)

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Suggestions For Application

Please allow me to bring this to a conclusion with three very brief suggestions for application. 

The first has to do with knowledge and Bible reading. When you read the Scriptures you need to be aware of where you are at in the history of redemption with respect to God’s covenantal dealings lest you get lost and disoriented. To state things succinctly, things were different for Adam before the fall than they were for him afterwards. And things were different from the call of Abraham than they were for Moses and the Israelites from the exodus onward. And things are different for those of us who live after the resurrection of Christ. And what makes the difference? Covenants. The covenants that God has entered into with man make the difference. Covenants establish the terms of man’s relationship with God. When you read the scriptures you need to know where you are in relation to the history of redemption and the covenants. Many errors have been made theologically because of confusion on this point. Kids (and adults), learn your history. Memorize some dates, even if you only do so roughly. Learn about these individuals that we find in this scriptures, and consider the covenants that God transacted with them. It will be a great help to you in understanding our faith. 

Secondly, learn to see Christ as the fulfillment of these Old Testament events and institutions. This is what Christ taught his disciples to do. After his resurrection he met with them and said, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44, ESV). All of Paul’s teaching was centered around the principle that Christ was mysteriously revealed in the Old Testaments through prophecies, promises, types and shadows. We must learn to read the Old Testament in the same way, for it is the way that it was meant to read. And as we see Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures, may we come to love, appreciate, and cherish him all the more. 

Thirdly, let us not forget that just as Israel was redeemed to worship, so too were we. Israel was to faithfully keep the Passover from the exodus onward. They often failed. But may we be found faithful to keep the festival that the Messiah has given to us free from evil in sincerity and truth, for Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for sins and for our eternal redemption. 

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23–34

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.” (1 Corinthians 11:23–34, ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1-28

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.’ Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’’ And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.” (Exodus 12:1–28, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

The text that is before us today consists of two parts. In verses 1 through 20 we find a record of the instructions that God gave to Moses and Aaron regarding Israel’s perpetual observance of the Passover memorial under the Mosaic Covenant. And although verses 21 through 28 are certainly related to this, they differ in that they are a record of the instructions that Moses gave to the elders of Israel regarding the observance of the first Passover with some mention made of its future observance. You can clearly see the division in the text by reading verse 1, “The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months…”, etc., and comparing it to verse 21, “Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb…”, etc. From this it should be clear to us that Moses and Aaron were priests, and that Moses was also a prophet. That Moses and Aaron were priests is clear because God gave them instructions regarding the religious observance of the Passover under the Old Mosaic Covenant. They, and the priests that would descend from them, were to see to it that the worship of God was maintained. But it was Moses the prophet who then delivered the word of God to the people of God through their elders.  

By the way, did you notice that the Hebrew people are back on board in this passage? We haven’t heard anything about them since chapter 6. Pharaoh had responded to Moses’ original request for the release of the Hebrews by withholding the straw necessary for brick making and thus he greatly increased the already heavy burden of the Hebrews. This caused the Hebrews to turn away from Moses and Aaron. The foremen of the Hebrews spoke to them saying, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us” (Exodus 5:21, ESV). And in 6:9 we read, “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery” (Exodus 6:9, ESV). That was the last we heard about the spiritual condition of the Hebrews. They were broken, greatly discouraged, and unwilling to listen to Moses. But now they are back! I think it is safe to say that although they maintained a low profile to avoid even harsher treatment from Pharaoh while Moses and Arron did their thing, they were watching. They witnessed the judgments that God poured out on Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the gods of Egypt, and they saw how the LORD made a distinction between them and the Egyptians. In other words, the LORD proved himself faithful through the outpouring of the first 9 plagues, and now we see that the Hebrews are back on board. In verse 21 Moses calls for the elders of Israel, and they come to listen. And after Moses gives his instructions we read of the reaction of the Hebrews in verses 27-28: “…the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did” (Exodus 12:27–28, ESV). This is quite the turnaround, isn’t it? Clearly, the Lord had proven himself faithful and trustworthy.   

I wonder if you can relate? Perhaps you have gone through a season of pronounced difficulty which left you feeling greatly discouraged and doubting. But God showed himself faithful in his judgments and in his grace, leading to your restoration. It seems to me that the Hebrews went through something like this as a people. They were so beaten down that they began to doubt Moses and the LORD in whose name he came. But now they are back. “The people bowed their heads and worshiped”, and they went and did as Moses commanded. 

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Three Observations

With all of that as an introduction, I have three general observations to make concerning the instructions that the LORD gave to Moses and Aaron, and through them to the Hebrew people, concerning the observance of the Passover.

First of all, it is very important for us to recognize that these Passover laws that were revealed to Israel in the days of Moses were positive laws.

Positive laws are laws that are added by the Lord, often in connection with the establishment of a covenant. Positive laws are not inherently moral. Before this time, no one was obliged to keep the Passover. In fact, no one would have thought to, for the Passover had not occurred. This obligation to keep the Passover was imposed upon Israel at the time of the Exodus, and not before. Natural laws are binding on everyone, everywhere, and always, for they are those moral laws which were written on Adam’s heart at creation. They do not change. Murder, for example, was sinful in the beginning, it is sinful to this present day, and will always be sinful. But positive laws are laws are morally neutral. And they are imposed by God, as I have said, often in connection with the making of a Covenant between God and man. Positive laws are often filled with symbolism.

Adam had the moral law written on his heart at the time of his creation, but the law concerning abstinence from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was added later. The law to abstain from that tree was a positive law added by God in connection with the Covenant of Works that God transacted with him. The forbidden tree was made by God to signify rebellion against God, whereas the tree of life was made to signify Adam’s perfect, exact, and perpetual obedience. Eating fruit from trees is not inherently sinful. But for Adam, it was a sin to eat of the forbidden tree after the Lord commanded him not to eat of it. The law concerning the forbidden tree was a positive law, for it was added to the moral law and imposed upon Adam. 

Abraham was also given a positive law, the law of circumcision. This law was added to signify the covenant that God had made with Abraham. By this sign, the Hebrew people were marked off from the other nations. Before this law of circumcision was added, it was not a sin for anyone to remain uncircumcised. After this law was added, it was a sin for a male descendant of Abraham to remain uncircumcised. And that remained true up until Christ came into the world through the Hebrew people to accomplish the work of redemption. Ever since then, circumcision is to be regarded as nothing, for circumcision, or uncircumcision is a morally neutral thing. It was only a moral issue for a particular time and for a particular people while they lived under a particular covenantal arrangement according to the command of God. 

Positive laws were also added by Christ upon the inauguration of the New Covenant. Those who have faith in Christ are to be baptized and they are to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Before Christ said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”, and before he said, “do this in remembrance of me”, in regards to the observance of the Lord’s Supper, God’s people were not obliged to keep these commands. But now that Christ has added these positive laws, those who have faith in Christ are bound to obey them, for they do signify our union with Christ under the New Covenant, and our separation from the world. This will be so until the Lord returns. In the new heavens and earth, we will not observe baptism and the Lord’s supper, for then the Covenant of Grace will be brought to a consummation. Those in Christ will pass from grace to glory.

And here I am saying that such was the case with the observance of the Passover. These Passover laws were positive laws added by God and imposed upon the people of Israel in the days of Moses. No one was obliged to keep the Passover before this time. Only the Hebrews were obliged to keep the Passover after this. And these Passover laws would remain binding upon them until their purpose was fulfilled. These Passover laws were for Israel under the Old Mosaic covenant; they passed away with the arrival of the Christ, the accomplishment of our redemption through his shed blood, and the inauguration of the New and better Covenant. Neither ethnic Jews nor ethnic Gentiles today are obliged to observe the Passover (religiously), for the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world has come. To observe the Old Covenant Passover today (as if it is a religious obligation) is to deny that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah.

If what I have just said regarding the Passover feast binding the Hebrews only, and only under the Old Mosaic covenant, is true, then what are we to make of verse 14 of our text, which says “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”? And verse 17? “And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.” And verse 24? “You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.” (Exodus 12:24, ESV)

 If the Hebrew word translated as “forever” means, “from this day forward and for eternity”, then what I have just said regarding the Passover laws being no longer binding must be wrong. In fact, if this is so – if “forever” means, “from this day forward and for eternity” – then we must confess that the New Testament scriptures are wrong, for they do clearly teach that all of the feast days that were imposed upon Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant have passed away. In fact, a word study on this Hebrew word translated as “forever” will show that it is used in relation to all kinds of Old Covenant ceremonial laws. To give just one example, Leviticus 23:21 speaks of the observance of the Day of Atonement, when it says, “You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations” (Leviticus 23:21, ESV). If “forever” means for all eternity, then we are still obliged to observe the Passover, the Day of Atonement, and many of the other ceremonial laws given to Israel in the days of Moses. But again, this contradicts the clear teaching of the New Testament which teaches that these ceremonial laws that were given to Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant have passed away. Why have they passed? Because they have served their purpose and have been fulfilled by Christ. 

In fact, the Hebrew word does not necessarily mean “forever”, as in, “for all eternity”, but rather “forever”, as in, “for a very long time”, that is to say, “perpetually, for as long as this Covenantal arrangement lasts.” This positive law, along with the other positive laws given to Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant, governed Israel’s worship for a time. They governed Israel’s worship under the Old Mosaic Covenant. They governed Israel’s worship until the Christ who was promised to them was born into this world to accomplish our eternal redemption. 

This is how all positive laws work, by the way. Because they are not inherently moral, and because they are filled with symbolism, and because they are given in connection with the making of covenants, they remain in place until their symbolic function is fulfilled, and the covenant to which they belong is either broken or fulfilled. Think of the trees in the garden. Adam was to eat of the one and abstain from the other, but those laws do not pertain to us, for Adam broke the Covenant of Works. Think of circumcision. Circumcision was an issue for all the male descendants of Abraham, but not for us. Why? Because the promises made to Abraham have all been fulfilled, the Old Covenant has passed away, and the New has come, having been inaugurated by Christ, Abraham’s true Son. And as I have said, we will not observe the Lord’s Supper in the new heavens and earth, for then we will not be under the Covenant of Grace, but will be translated to glory. There we will eat the marriage supper of the Lamb, of which the Lord’s Supper is but a type. The observance of the Lord’s Supper will thus pass away.

Brothers and sisters, all of this is very important to understand now, and here is why: In Exodus 12 we are beginning to consider that period of redemptive history where the LORD makes the Hebrew people into a nation, the nation of Israel. Think of it. Prior to this — prior to the Passover and the Exodus that follows — the Hebrews were set apart as a people. We may trace this back to Abraham (Genesis 12), and even to Noah’s son, Shem (Genesis 11). But now in Exodus, the Hebrew people begin to emerge as a nation as they are led out of Egypt to journey towards the promised land. And soon we will see that the LORD imposed a whole bunch of laws upon them to govern them as a nation. The moral law that was given to them on two tablets of stone was a summary of the one written on Adam’s heart at creation — it was not new. But in the days of Moses, the Lord added many civil laws (laws pertaining to government) and ceremonial laws (laws pertaining to the worship of God under the Old Mosaic Covenant). And I am saying that the laws regarding the keeping of the Passover are the first of these positive ceremonial laws. We must learn how to interpret these laws, brothers and sisters. They were positive laws — laws added by God to a particular people, for a particular time, under a particular covenant, and for a particular purpose, namely to preserve these people physically and spiritually, until the Christ who was promised to them was brought into the world to accomplish our redemption.  We will need to keep all of this in mind as we continue in our study of Exodus and, Lord willing, come to study Leviticus someday. These civil and ceremonial laws imposed upon Israel are all to be regarded in this way. We may learn a great deal from these positive laws. We may learn something about God’s moral law by considering the civil laws imposed upon Israel. and we may learn a great deal about Christ and the work that he came to accomplish by considering the ceremonial laws imposed upon Israel (for he was in these laws prefigured). But we are not bound to keep them today, for they were given to Israel for a particular time and purpose. 

My second observation is this: the Passover was instituted by God through Moses to serve as a memorial to the act of redemption accomplished by the LORD to deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. 

The Passover feast is called a memorial in verse 14, where the LORD speaks to Moses, saying, “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast” (Exodus 12:14, ESV). The Hebrew people, from this day forward, were to keep the Passover to remember what the LORD had done for them. 

Notice that the Passover was instituted before the historical event of which it was a memorial occurred. This should remind us of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Our Lord, on the night that he was betrayed, the night before his crucifixion, said, this is my body which is broken for you, and this is my blood of the covenant which is shed for you, do this in remembrance of me.  So then, there was something prophetic about the words of Christ when he instituted the Supper. He predicted that his body would be broken and his bloodshed when he told his disciples to do this in remembrance of him. And the same is true of the institution of the Passover. The event of which the Passover was to serve as a perpetual memorial would happen in the future. 

But the main point is this — the Passover was to be observed as a memorial. The people of Israel were to look back and remember what the LORD had done for them to deliver them from Egyptian bondage. They were to remember the plagues, and in particular, they were to remember the 10th plague, the death of the firstborns of Egypt. And they were to remember how the LORD spared them through the blood of the lamb.   

Consider these three elements to the observance of the Passover.  

One, sacred time was set apart. The Passover itself was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the first month of the year (according to the Hebrew lunar calendar). That month — the month of Abib, which was later called Nisan — was to be regarded at the first month, and the Hebrews were to celebrate the Passover on the 14th day of that month. In fact, we do not only find instructions for the celebration of Passover in our text, but also instructions for the Feast of unleavened bread. This feast follows Passover. It was to be observed for seven days, the 14th day through the 21st. No leaven was to be found in the houses of the Hebrews, They were to eat only unleavened bread. 

Sacred time… God has always set aside sacred time for man to rest and to worship. Adam was to keep the weekly Sabbath. Work was to be done for 6 days and the seventh day was to be regarded as holy, a day for rest and for worship. That has never changed, brothers and sisters. The weekly Sabbath is command four of the ten commandments. Of course, the day of observance has changed now that the Christ has accomplished his work, has entered into his rest, and we find our rest in him by faith. The day has appropriately changed from the seventh to the first, but the weekly Sabbath remains. That is what Hebrews 4:9 explicitly says! The weekly Sabbath remains, and it will remain until the thing of which the weekly Sabbath is a sign arrives, namely, eternal rest in the new heavens and earth. But here I want you to see that in the days of Moses sacred days were added and imposed upon the Hebrews. These added days are what Paul refers to in Colossians 2:16, saying, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV).

These holy days were important for Israel, for they gave Israel an opportunity to pause and to remember what the Lord had done for them to redeem them, how he had set them apart as his people, and how he had entrusted them with his precious and very great promises. Did Israel keep these holy days? In fact, the scriptures suggest that they were very unfaithful in this. Nevertheless, this was their purpose. 

Dear brothers and sisters, under the New Covenant these holy days that were given to Israel no longer apply to us. They have passed away,  for as Paul says, they were “a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV). But the Lord has not left us without sacred time. A Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. The weekly Sabbath — the one day in seven Sabbath — which was first given, not to Israel in the days of Moses, but to Adam at the time of creation, remains. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…” (Hebrews 4:9, ESV). It is a day for resting. It is a day for worshipping. It is a day for remembering what the Lord has done for us. It is a day to be reminded that we belong to the Lord and that we are living, not for this world, but the world to come. 

Notice secondly that the Passover was a ceremonial meal. The Hebrews were to slaughter a lamb or goat without blemish. The blood was to be caught in a basin and some was to be spread upon the doorposts of the house. This application of the blood signified that all in the house believed in YHWH. When the tenth plague was poured out the LORD would pass over all of the homes with the blood applied to the doorpost. And when the Passover was celebrated in the years to come, the people were to reenact this so as to remember the mercy that the LORD had shown to them. And then the people were to roast the lamb quickly and simply over fire. They were to eat it all. If the lamb was too big for one household to consume, they were to join with others. The bread they ate was to be unleavened. They were to eat the meal fully clothed and with sandals on their feet as if ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Everything about the meal communicated preparedness and haste. This was not the kind of meal that families who were well established in their land and in their homes would eat. Rather, it was the kind of meal that those on the go would eat. And that of course is the point. The Hebrews were to prepare the meal in this way by faith, knowing that the Lord would deliver them at the break of dawn. And every Passover feast from that day forward was to be celebrated in the same way as a memorial to the great salvation the LORD worked for the Hebrews to deliver them from Egyptian bondage. 

Sacred meal… why a meal? Well, meals do signify communion. And these Hebrews were redeemed from Egypt to commune with their God and with one another. The theme runs throughout scripture, brothers and sisters. Abraham ate with the angel of the Lord, remember. The Passover was a meal. The people ate before God at Sinai. Many of the sacrifices offered at the tabernacle, and later the temple, were to be consumed by the priests and by the people. Do not forget the Lord’s Supper, brothers and sisters. And lastly, think of the marriage supper of the Lamb which we will enjoy in the New Heavens and earth. That will be the culmination of this biblical theme, won’t it. All of these sacred meals in Holy Scripture signify communion with God through Christ, the Lamb of God whose blood was shed for us.   

The third element of the Passover is teaching. The Hebrews were to observe the Passover, not in a ritualistic way, but mindfully, with faith in their hearts, and they were to teach the significance of the meal to their children. Verse 24: “You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses’”(Exodus 12:24–27, ESV).

Surely you can see that the Passover memorial and the Lord’s Supper share a lot in common. They are not the same thing, mind you. The Lord’s Supper, which you and I are bound to observe today, is its own thing. Like many others elements of New Covenant worship, the Lord’s Supper is much more simple than the Passover. There is a reason for that, by the way. Old Covenant worship was complex, in part, because Christ was portrayed ahead of time in all of the ceremonies and holy days. He was “sketched out” ahead of time so that the faithful might perceive him. But now that he has come — now that “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV), these complex “sketches” of Christ are no longer needed.  Remember, they were “a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17, ESV). We have the substance now. And so a small portion of bread and a small sip of wine are sufficient to remind the people of God of the Christ who has come — his body was broken and his blood shed for the forgiveness of the sins of many. 

The Lord’s Supper is not the Passover. It is its own thing. But it is related. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as he celebrated the last Passover with his disciples. The Lord’s Supper is to be observed by the church when she assembles for worship on the Lord’s Day. So there we find the principle of Sacred Time. It is a sacred meal. Yes, it is a small meal — a symbolic meal — but it is a meal nonetheless, for her our communion with God and with one another through faith in Christ is signified. And it is a time for teaching. 

Have you noticed that we observe the Lord’s Supper after the ministry of the Word? Why do you think that is? Answer: Because it is the Word of God that gives the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper its meaning or significance. Without the Word of God, we would not know (or we soon forget) the significance of these elements. And have you noticed the position of the Table in relation to the pulpit? It is placed below the pulpit, signifying the submission of the sacrament to the Word of God. And it is positioned in the midst of the congregation, for here our communion with God and one another through Christ is symbolized. But the point is this: in order for us to approach the Lord’s Supper correctly, teaching from scripture is needed. Just as the Word of God informed the Hebrews that the Passover meal was to be a remembrance of the redemption that God accomplished for them, so too it is the Word of God which informs us that the bread and wine signify Christ crucified for sin, raised in victory, ascended in power, who will one day return to judge the wicked and to bring those washed in his blood safely into their eternal inheritance.    

The third point of the sermon today will be very brief, and it is this: The Passover was more than a memorial. It would also function as a test of faithfulness for Israel and as a picture of the greater act of deliverance that would be accomplished in the future by the Messiah. 

When I say that the Passover (and the Feast of Unleavened Bread which accompanied it) was more than a memorial I mean that it was not just a time for remembering the past, it was also an assessment on the present and a reminder of God’s promises for the future. 

Concerning the assessment on the present, verse 15 of our text says, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, ESV). In verse 19 we find the same. Israelites who refused to keep the feast were to be cut off from the people. I take this to mean that they were to be put out of the nations, and if the people would not do it, God would, for this would indicate that the individual was faithless. 

And concerning the reminder of God’s promises for the future that were embedded within the Passover, I have already said that Christ was prefigured in this feast. The New Testament makes this so very clear. Perhaps the clearest evidence for this is the one that has already been cited. Christ, on the night that he was betrayed, took bread. After he had given thanks he blessed it and broke it and said this is my body which is broken for you. The bread that he held in his hand was the unleavened bread of the Passover, and he said, this is my body. And the cup that he took after supper was one of the cups of the Passover meal. He said this is my blood of the covenant. Just think about that. Christ in that moment revealed what was signified in the Passover all along — the broken body of the Messiah and his shed blood. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV).

The Passover festival was more than a memorial. It was more than a time for remembering the past. It did also test the faith of the Hebrews in the present — those who did not honor it were to be cut off. And it prefigured the Messiah too. It is anticipated the greater act of redemption that would be accomplished in the future by him. The blood of the lamb spread on the doorposts would shield the Hebrews from physical death. But the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, shields those to whom is applied by faith from the just wrath of God and his eternal punishment. More than this, it grants us life eternal in the new heavens and earth, which is our inheritance in Christ. 

As you can probably see, the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial too. Those who are faithless are to be cut off. And in the bread and cup, we are reminded, not only of what Christ has done but of what he will do. For he said, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29, ESV).

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Conclusion

So what shall I say by way of conclusion? 

One, I do want you to understand what happened historically. I want for you to know what God did for the Hebrews to free them from Egyptian bondage. He put the firstborns of Egypt to death, but he shielded his people who had applied the blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their home.

Two, I want you to understand the Passover feast, along with the Feast of Unleavened  Bread to know what it means to the Hebrews. It reminded them of the past, it tested them in the present, and it contained promises for the future. 

Three, I want you to see that we celebrate something far greater. When we come before the Lord’s Table Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day, we remember a work of redemption that was far greater than the one accomplished in the days of Moses. The deliverance was greater, and the reward was greater. The calling is greater too, brothers and sisters. I close with the words of Paul: “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8, ESV). This he wrote to Christians. “The festival” that he refers to here is not the Passover, but the Lord’s Supper. And his exhortation to the church is that we celebrate the festival in “sincerity and truth”. May it be so. Lord help us. Let us pray.